CHANGES COMING TO OKLAHOMA DRUG LAWS: WHAT’S NEW?

When it comes to rankings, Oklahoma is up there for the number of citizens who go to jail. The kicker is that the number of incarcerated Oklahomans is highest for those who have committed a non-violent crime. The numbers are also high when looking at the total number of female inmates, as well as African American prisoners. To some, these numbers were alarming enough to push for substantial change to our criminal justice system. And last November, even though it might be hard to remember there were a number of other issues on the ballot than just the race between HRC and Trump, Oklahoma voters passed measures to start making those changes. State Questions 780 and 781 were passed at election time, and the time to start implementation is near. These laws change certain non-violent drug crimes misdemeanors, rather than felonies. This is important because the options available to defendants facing these charges can also change. A misdemeanor is less serious than a felony, so on the one hand this is good news. But there are other changes that have a less positive effect. Stay tuned to learn what these new laws do, and what that means for you if you are arrested for a drug charge.

Contact us by email today: kelly.horner@hostylaw.com or by calling the office at (405) 235-4040.